Quick reset mechanism for odometers



July 25, 1933. R. o. HELGEBY QUICK RESET MECHANISM FOR ODOMETERS Filed Dec. 16, 1929 Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH O. HELGEBY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO A C SPARK PLUG COMPANY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN QUICK RESET MECHANISM FOR ODOMETERS My invention relates to odometer meehanism of the type in which some of the figure.

wheels may be disconnected from their driving means by a resetting device and then may be reset to any desired position. It'sometimes is desired to reset these figure wheels to a position indicating a. definite number, but more often they are reset to zero position. lVhen this is to be done with the usual type of resetting mechanism, it may sometimes be necessary to rotate the lowest figure wheel as many as fifty revolutions, if there are three figure wheels employed, and five hundred.

revolutions if there are four figure wheels.

It is therefore an object of my invention to so construct theodometer mechanism that by turning the resetting mechanism in one direction, the various figure wheels may be reset to any desired position in the usual manner. \Vhen the resetting mechanism is rotated in the opposite direction, the figure wheels consecutively become locked together, finally turning as a unit, and thereby may be reset to zero position by a number of revolutions not exceeding the number of figure wheels employed.

Another object of my inventionisto so construct an odometer mechanism which will function in the above described manner that it will not necessitate any increase in size of the rest ofthe instrument nor any material changes in the frame, also so that a minimum of extra parts will be required and as many standard odometer parts be used as possible. Other objects and advantages will be 'ap parent upon referring to the specification and accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figal is a fragmentary front view of an odometermechanism, showing my improved odometer resetting mechanism in elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line" 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an'end view of the frame with parts broken away.

Fig. '5 is a detail perspective view of one of the parts.

Fig. G is a detail perspective view of another of the parts.

The reference numeral 10 indicates the frame of an odometer in which are supported shafts 12 and 1%. Season mileage odometer figure wheels 16 are journalled on the shaft 12 and trip mileage odometer figure wheels comprising a decimal figure wheel 18, a unit figure wheel 20 and a tens figure wheel 22 are journalled on the shaft 14. The decimal figure wheel 18 has keyed to it a sleeve 2% which is axially movable on the shaft 1%. Gear teeth 26 on thissleevc mesh with an intermediate gear 28 which in turn is connected with the odometer driving mechanism in a well known manner. I

The decimal figure wheel 18 has formed on it the usual transfer tooth 30 which ongages the alternately wide teeth 32 and narrow teeth 34 on a transfer pinion 86, as shown in Fig. 6. This pinion is journalled on a shaft 38 which is supported in slots 40 in the frame 10. Spring arms 42 secured to the frame in any suitable manner such as by the rivets 44, bear against the shaft 38 and normally hold the latter in the end of the slots toward the figure wheels so that two of the Wide teeth 32 bear against the figure wheel 18 to prevent rotation of the transfer pinions except when the latter is engaged by the transfer tooth 30. Other teeth 46 on the transfer pinion mesh with continuous teeth 48 formed on the unit figure wheel 20.

The above described construction with the exception of the slots 40, the spring arms 4-2 and the rivets 4 is well known in the art and it will be readily understood that as the decimal figure wheel is rotated a complete revolution, the transfer tooth 30 thereon engages the narrow teeth 34 thereby rotating the transfer pinion 36 a sufficient amount to cause the unit figure wheel 20 to be rotated a tenth of a' revolution, thus bringing the nism is provided in order to set the figure wheels 18, 20 and 22 to any desired position. This is comprised of an axially movable reset stem 50 which extends outside the casing in order that it may be rotated by the operator. A gear is secured on the end of this reset stem and a conical portion 5st is adapted to bear against an angular face 56 on the sleeve 24 when the reset stem is pushed upwardly, thereby causing the sleeve to move to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, thus disengaging the gear teeth 26 from the gear 28 and causing the gear 52 to mesh with the gear teeth 26. Rotation of the reset stem in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, while it is pushed upwardly, will cause the decimal figure wheel 18 to rotate in the same direction as it is normally driven, and it in turn drives the other figure wheels in the manner above described. Consequently all three ligure wheels may be set so that any desired combination of figures will appear by rotating the reset stem a suflicient number of turns.

It the figure wheels should be in such a position as would indicate substantially fifty miles, obviously it would require about fifty revolutions of the decimal figure wheel 18 to reset them all to zero position. This is objectionable since it requires too much time and effort to turn the reset stem that many times. By adding a. very few parts to the conventional construction, I am able to reset all three figure wheels to zero position in from two to three revolutions of the decimal figure wheel 18.

These additions consist of stampings 58 which are secured to the figure wheels 20 and 22 in any suitable manner such as by the rivets 60. On these stampings are formed spring members 62 which extend inside the figure wheel of next lowest order. These spring members are so arranged that, for example, when the decimalfigure wheel 18 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, the spring member secured to the unit figure wheel 20 rides over the transfer tooth 80 on the figure Wheel 18. \Vhen the latter is rotated in a clockwise or opposite to the normal driving direction, the outer end of the spring member is engaged by the transfer tooth 30 and causes the figure wheel 20 to rotate at the same speed as the figure wheel 18. Since the transfer pinion H6 is prevented from rotating by the engagement of the wide teeth 32 with the figure heel 18, some means must be provided to disengage the transfer pinion from the teeth 48 on the figure wheel 20, in order to permit the latter to turn with the figure wheel 18.

It is for this purpose that the slots are provided. As the figure wheel 20 starts to rotate with the figure wheel 18, the teeth 46 on the transfer pinions ride over the tops of the continuous teeth 48 on the figure wheels and thereby force the transfer pinions outwardly or away from the figure wheels, causing the shaft 38 to assume a position in the outer ends of the slots 40. The spring arms 42 tend to move the shaft to the opposite ends of the slots so that the transfer pinions will be in their normal position when the resetting is completed. The spring member secured to the tens figure wheel 22 is engaged by the transfer tooth on the unit figure wheel 20 in the same manner and thus all three figure wheels are caused to rotate at the same speed with the same figures appearing oppo-. site each other on all three figure wheels. The rotation of the reset stem is continued until the figures zero come into View through the opening in the speedometer face plate. Obviously not more than one revolution of the tens figure wheel will be required to bring the figure zero into view, and consequently not more than three revolutions of the decimal figure wheel will be required. If four figure wheels are employed, then not more than four revolutions of the decimal figure wheel will be necessary. The reset stem is then released and a compression spring 64 moves the sleeve 21 to the right causing the gear teeth 26 on the latter to mesh with the gear 28 whereupon the figure wheels are driven in the usual manner from the speedometer driving mechanism.

It will thus be seen that I have devised an odometer mechanism which may be reset in the ordinary manner by being turned in one direction, and which may be reset to zero position by a very few turns in the opposite direction. No substantial changes are required in the rest of the instrument and very few additional parts are required. Due to the comparative simplicity of the construction, it is not likely to get out of order and may be produced at quite a low cost.

It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawing that the construction and operation of the device will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that various changes in size, shape, and proportion and details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with odometer mechanism comprising aligned figure wheels of successively higher order provided with a transfor gear tooth at one side and continuous gear teeth at their opposite side, transfer pinions located between each pair of figure wheels, said transfer pinions being provided with teeth which are normally in continuous driving engagement with the gear teeth on the figure wheel of higher order and in intermittent driving engagement with the transfer tooth on the figure wheel of lower order whereby the figure wheel of higher order will be rotated a part of a revolution for each revolution of the figure wheel of lower order when the latter is driven in one direction, and resetting mechanism adapted to be operatively connected to the figure wheel of lowest order; a frame in which said odometermechanism is supported, said frame having slots formed therein, and a shaft upon which said transfer pinions are rotatably supported, the ends of said shaft being located in the slots in said frame whereby said shaft will be supported by said frame but will be movable laterally with respect thereto, said shaft normally being held at one end of the slots in said frame whereby the transfer pinions are held in such position that their teeth are in driving engagement with the continuous teeth on said figure wheels. said shaft being adapted to be moved to the opposite ends of the slots in said frame to enable the teeth on said transfer pinions to ride over the continuous teeth on the figure wheels when the figure wheel of lowest order is rotated in the opposite direction by the resetting mechanism, thereby rendering the transfer pinions inoperative for driving purposes in order that all of the figure wheels may be reset to zero position by a munber of revolutions not exceeding the number of figure wheels employed.

2. in combination with odometer mechanism comprising aligned figure wheels of successively higher order provided with a transfer gear tooth at one side and continuous gear teeth at their opposite side. transfer pinions located between each pair of figure wheels. said transfer pinions being provided with teeth which are na -mall in continuous driving engagement with the gear teeth on the figure Wheel of higher order and in intermittent driving engagement with the transfer tooth on the figure wheel of lower order whereby the figure wheel of higher order will be rotated a part of a revolution for each revolution of the figure wheel of lower order when the latter is driven in one direction, and resetting mechanism adapted to be operatively connected to the figure wheel of lowest order; a frame in which said odometer mechanism is supported, said frame having slots formed therein, a shaft upon Which said transfer pinions are rotatably supported, the ends of said shaft being located in the slots in said frame wherebv said shaft will be supported by said frame but will be movable laterally with respect thereto, and resilient means tending to hold said shaft in one end of the slots in said frame whereby the transfer pinions are held in such position that their teeth are in driving engagement with the continuous teeth on said figure wheels, said shaft being adapted to be moved to the opposite ends of the slots in said frame to enable the teeth on said transfer pinions to ride over the continuous teeth on the figure wheels when the figure wheel of lowest order is rotated in the opposite direction by the resetting mechanism. thereby rendering the transfer pinions inoperative for driving purposes in order that all of the figure wheels may be reset to zero position by a number of revolutions not exceeding the number of figure wheels employed.

RALPH O. HELGEBY. 

